Ribs

Costa Mesa-based Beach Pit BBQ recently re-upped its contract for another five years with the Los Angeles Angels to remain at the stadium. And now it’ll be easier to get some barbecue at the game as the company expands its stands from two to five. The three new spots are behind home plate on the “View Level,” near left field behind the rock pile and just inside the third-base gate. There you can order up some spare ribs, quartered-chicken, baked beans and blueberry corn bread while rooting the Halos on to another successful season.

Turkey Day’s coming so we thought, hey, what if you wanted to mix it up this year and really freak out your mother-in-law? How about ribs for Thanksgiving? Well, we know an expert when we see one so this week we checked in with Newport Rib Co. proprietor John Ursini to get some tips for holiday party catering. We suppose this is your busiest time of the year. How much lead time do customers need to give you to cater a party? Not very long!

While it is stag night for me most evenings, my friend found himself wifeless one recent midweek night. Men, especially married ones whose wives are CEOs of the family, are dangerous when left to their own devices. The choices my friend could have made for dinner would probably have been disastrous, plus I don’t even know if they sell pizza-flavored Cheez Whiz anymore. So we got together for a little male bonding time and figured the food had to be manly to fit with the theme of the evening.

Daily Pilot Editor Brady Rhoades and City Editor Paul Anderson will be available for questions and discussion during a Chat with the Editors from 6 to 8 p.m. July 23 at Newport Rib Company, 2196 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa. The public is invited. Enjoy some of the finest ribs in Orange County while bending the ears of these two editors about the issues you care about. “We promise everyone will get a chance to speak. And we also promise to be as forthright as possible in answering questions and addressing concerns,” Rhoades said.

Every dad usually knows what to expect on Father's Day: a barbecue, beers, burgers, a comfortable chair and an endless run of sports shows on TV. Or so they hope. The staff at the Hilton Orange County in Costa Mesa took all those elements to mind when putting on the quintessential event for dads Sunday. And so "King for a Few Hours" was born. After the consecutive and increasing success of "Queen for the Day" for the two years in a row, the staff at the Hilton decided to supply dads with their own form of the royal treatment complete with all the fixings a man could want.

Almost 100 of Brian "Bubba" Kapko's friends, and family gathered Saturday before the Angels game for a "Bub-A-Que" in memory of Kapko who was killed in a car accident Aug. 28, 2005. The Costa Mesa native, who was 19 when he died, was a big Angels fan, and soon after his death a group of his friends went to a game in his honor. In the Angels stadium parking lot before Saturday's game, everyone grubbed on ribs, chicken, cornbread and mashed potatoes from Newport Rib Company. Family members hope to make it an annual event.

Wingnuts is an ideal restaurant from which to pick up food for Super Bowl parties. There are 30 varieties of wings, including sweet and sour barbecue, lemon garlic, cheesy cheddar and, of course, buffalo style, and 10 flavors of spare, beef and baby back ribs, from Santa Fe to chipotle style. Prices range from $6.95 for a "taster" of 10 wings to $39.95 for the "party" size of 100 pieces; ribs are priced at $13.95 (spare and beef ribs) and $14.95 for the baby backs ribs.

Super Bowl Sunday may not be a nationally recognized holiday, but for many it might as well be. The showdown between the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots NFL teams today will be the main focus of many Newport-Mesa parties and get-togethers. Dave Marshal, the general manager at Wingnuts restaurant, knows all about big game parties, as his restaurant will be just one of the local eateries broadcasting the big game. For those who won't be munching on Wingnuts chicken, chili, ribs or potato chips while watching the big game, Marshal had some helpful tips for making great finger food for your own football function.

The Newport Rib Co. will launch its "30 Days of Charity" Program Friday, a representative said. A portion of restaurant receipts through Nov. 30 will benefit 30 Orange County nonprofits, many of them chosen with the help of customers and staff members. "The program was created to give back to the community that has supported the Rib Co. for the past 30 years," Laura Ursini Marroquin, community relations manager for the Costa Mesa restaurant, wrote in an email. "As a family-owned-and -operated restaurant, we know that this is a major milestone in our business, and we want to celebrate by donating 20% of all dine-in and take-out to 30 amazing Orange County charities.

As owner of Newport Rib Company, John Ursini does his best to provide food that is delicious. Yet, Ursini recently produced something that left a bad taste in the mouths of Costa Mesa High supporters. It didn't have anything to do with food. Rather, Ursini's attempt at comedy during a celebration ceremony at Estancia High left many angry and disappointed. He wrote and read a top 10 list of reasons why Estancia won the All-Sports Cup, for the fourth straight year, on Thursday.

COSTA MESA — About 150 people poured into Estancia High School's gym to celebrate the life of Jim Scott, an avid school booster who pioneered the building of the school's football stadium that today bears his name. The memorial coincided with the Battle of the Bell, a ritual he created in the mid-1980s to foster community traditions and a friendly competition between Estancia and its cross-town rival, Costa Mesa High, said son Jim Scott Jr. The ceremony began and ended with a bagpipe, whose player wore a red kilt and Scott Clan shirt.

For the self-proclaimed "mad scientists" of the Orange County Fair, their latest creation drew many interested, if not wary, visitors eager to try their latest concoction: the deep-fried Kool-Aid. Chicken Charlie's has been a fairgrounds staple for the past 14 years, and is a family operation - employing Charlie, his brother Tony, Charlie's wife Dawn, who is seven months pregnant, and Jerald Smith, who is Charlie's "brother from another mother. " Among the only-at-the-fair foods Charlie's is cooking (or frying)

Mention “Costa Mesa CERT” today at Newport Rib Co. and you’ll help the Costa Mesa Community Emergency Response Team get 20% of your bill to buy training materials and supplies. Costa Mesa is working to become the most prepared community in Orange County. Your contribution will help with paying for manuals, course supplies and response equipment. CERT teaches community members to be better prepared for a disaster or emergency. Emergency First Aid, fire suppression safety and search and rescue techniques are some of the topics covered.

Preparing for this weekend has required Five Crowns to have a fully prepped staff, a seasoned executive chef and enough food to feed a small army: 410 loaves of bread, 100 pounds of fresh horse radish, 80 gallons of creams, 60 prime ribs, 25 pounds of sugar and 3 pounds of fresh vanilla beans. After all, the Taste of Newport isn’t just any outdoor event. The festival features 30 fine dining restaurants showcasing their top tastes, an assortment of wines and musical entertainment and cooking classes.

Daily Pilot Editor Brady Rhoades and City Editor Paul Anderson will be available for questions and discussion during a Chat with the Editors from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Newport Rib Company, 2196 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa. The public is invited. Enjoy some of the finest ribs in Orange County while bending the ears of these two editors about the issues you care about. “We promise everyone will get a chance to speak. And we also promise to be as forthright as possible in answering questions and addressing concerns,” Rhoades said.

Costa Mesa-based Beach Pit BBQ recently re-upped its contract for another five years with the Los Angeles Angels to remain at the stadium. And now it’ll be easier to get some barbecue at the game as the company expands its stands from two to five. The three new spots are behind home plate on the “View Level,” near left field behind the rock pile and just inside the third-base gate. There you can order up some spare ribs, quartered-chicken, baked beans and blueberry corn bread while rooting the Halos on to another successful season.

Turkey Day’s coming so we thought, hey, what if you wanted to mix it up this year and really freak out your mother-in-law? How about ribs for Thanksgiving? Well, we know an expert when we see one so this week we checked in with Newport Rib Co. proprietor John Ursini to get some tips for holiday party catering. We suppose this is your busiest time of the year. How much lead time do customers need to give you to cater a party? Not very long!